ACEWATER III
Water component of scientific and technological
support for Regional Centres of Excellence linked to the
Green Transition Programme
Validation Workshop & Kick-off Meeting, ICPAC (IGAD
Climate Prediction & Applications Centre),
Nairobi (Kenya), 15-17 and 18-19 April 2024
BACKGROUND
Within the framework of the EU Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Action “Scientific and Technological Support to Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) related to Green Transition”, the event, organized by the Stellenbosch University and hosted at ICPAC facilities (IGAD Climate Prediction & Applications Centre in Nairobi, Kenya - https://www.icpac.net/) was held from 15 to 19 April 2024.
The Water component of this programme aims to help regional centres focused on water research and management provide improved support for political decision-makers.
PARTICIPANTS
The workshop brought together key stakeholders from across the continent, including representatives of 20 research institutions of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Centres of Excellence (CoEs) on Water Science, spanning Southern, East and Central Africa, and Western Africa.
Representatives of the European Commission (DG INTPA and the JRC) managing the programme and the EC Technical Assistance were also present.
Importantly, the workshop included the participation of key continental and African river basin stakeholders, including the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and some African River Basin Organizations (RBOs).
OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of the workshop was to identify synergies, promote cross-fertilisation of ideas, and ensure alignment with the priorities and challenges facing stakeholders in Africa, with a focus on scientific research proposals submitted by the AUDA-NEPAD CoEs on Water Science to address Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Human Capacity Development (HCD) activities.
Specifically, the event served two-fold purposes, being hence structured in two distinct sub-events:
- Validation workshop, 15-17 April. The main purpose was for the 20 Water RCoEs to present and discuss their intended scientific research, HCD (Human Capacity Development) and mobility activities for the duration of the project (2024-2027).
- Kick-off meeting, 18-19 April. The kick-off meeting served as the official launch of the project, to share and exchange with all stakeholders and funders information and views on envisaged activities. In attendance there were representatives from the DG-JRC, DG INTPA, TA (Technical Assistance, covering the various thematic sections of the EC STI action), the EU Delegation in South Africa, the RECs (SADC, CRGRE-AC - Regional Center for Water Resources Management and Coordination in Central Africa - a newly established organization under the authority of the ECCAS), and the RBOs (OMVS).
The JRC aims to enhance the scientific capacities of AUDA-NEPAD CoEs on Water in three key areas: Human Capacity Development (HCD), Data Management and Knowledge Generation, and Strengthening Cross-sectoral and Interregional Coordination.
JRC.D.2 will submit annual progress reports to the EU STI Steering Committee of the STI RCoEs programme, provide scientific support and guidance to the current secretariat of the AUDA-NEPAD CoEs (hosted by the Stellenbosch University) and the research institutions, and develop HCD and scientific activities aligned with identified AU-EU priorities in selected African transboundary river basins.
The discussions and outcomes of the events are documented in the “Report of the Validation Workshop and Kick-off Meeting Proceedings” prepared by the Stellenbosch University and shared among all partners.